LAX to Pier in San Pedro

Could someone tell me how long it takes to get from Los Angeles International Airport to the cruise ship pier in San Pedro? Am thinking about taking Diamond Princess roundtrip to Hawaii and will get transfers from cruise line but book the flight myself.

Thanks in advance.......

Ideally and according to Map Quest since I just printed this route yet again for my husband:D it should take 21 minutes and is about 19.08 miles.

Unfortunately you are talking about the 405 Freeway and that does tend to have traffic problems so more like an hour. :eek:

My advice would be not to do a Princess transfer from LAX. We did that last year and spent over 2 hours waiting for the Princess bus to pick us up. There were people just walking down the way a bit and taking the Super Shuttle to the pier. Not only is it cheaper but there is no wait. If you go on line, you can get info on it. We are doing the same cruise again this year and will not be using a Princess transfer. As I recall, the trip from the airport to the pier takes about 30 - 45 minutes depending on traffic.

About 40 minutes on a good day, $48 for a cab. :)

Why don't you fly to Long Beach and avoid LAX. The LB airport is about 10 minutes from the ship and there are great hotels that can accomodate you. Check out the Long Beach Hyatt which is just across the harbour from the QE.

Good luck!

Why don't you fly to Long Beach and avoid LAX. The LB airport is about 10 minutes from the ship and there are great hotels that can accomodate you. Check out the Long Beach Hyatt which is just across the harbour from the QE.

 

Good luck!

Thanks for a great idea.

I took the Super Shuttle (had no reservation, you just walk out there and they get you on) to the Hyatt Long Beach. It took about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes (didn't time it) and $17 per person. Then it's another 10 minutes or so to the pier & $18 by taxi. I did have a Princess transfer from pier back to LAX. I did time it and was 25 minutes. Absolutely no traffic that Saturday morning at 9:30.

We went 2 days early because daughter wanted to go to American Girl Place in The Grove. We stayed at the Hyatt Century City. Highly Recommended! Best hotel I've ever stayed at, ever! If we didn't do this, I would recommend flying into Long Beach & not LAX, unless the fare is MUCH cheaper flying into LAX.

Could someone tell me how long it takes to get from Los Angeles International Airport to the cruise ship pier in San Pedro? Am thinking about taking Diamond Princess roundtrip to Hawaii and will get transfers from cruise line but book the flight myself.

 

Thanks in advance.......

When? During rush hour - three to four hours. If it is raining, add another 90 minutes.

Mid day on a Saturday or Sunday, about two hours.

Take the supershuttle from LAX to San Pedro. Stay at the Doubletree in SP. They have free shuttle to the port.

A suggestion is to look into booking the Princess pre-cruise at the LAX Marriott. It sells out quickly as it's $69/night/pp and includes the transfer to the port. You leave your luggage in your room with your Princess tag and it's picked up while you are at breakfast and delivered right to your cabin. You don't have to worry about it or even tip the longshoremen. Later in the morning, you board the bus, go to the pier, check in and you're on your cruise. If you rent a Hertz car, you can pick it up at the airport, leave it in the hotel parking lot and drop off the key in the lobby. Couldn't be easier.

Thanks for all the good advice, really appreciate it, think I'll look into going from Long Beach to the pier also.........

When? During rush hour - three to four hours. If it is raining, add another 90 minutes.

 

Mid day on a Saturday or Sunday, about two hours.

Oh boy, did I screw up on this one. It was late and I read San Pedro as San Diego.

Lets try that again. It is about 20 miles from LAX to San Pedro. During the rush hour it will take about one hour. Otherwise about 30 minutes.

The Long Beach Airport is closer. It is about 10 miles away.

Here is an overview of the port ...

Princess docks where the Monarch is ...

In fact, I think I see the Diamond Princess docked in San Pedro now ...

Oops, too late. The Diamond Princess is leaving (note the jet engines on top for extra speed) ...

OMG! Its coming right at me!!

Oops, too late. The Diamond Princess is leaving (note the jet engines on top for extra speed) ...

According to my sons, those are not jet engines--they're warp nacelles! ;) :rolleyes:

Cuizer2, what web cam are you using to view the ships in San Pedro?

Great pictures!!! Thx!!!:D

Cuizer2, what web cam are you using to view the ships in San Pedro?

 

Great pictures!!! Thx!!!:D

Well, the first two and the last two were taken with a Nikon web cam and the middle one was taken with a Canon web cam. Unfortunately both are currently sitting in my computer room at home right now, so I can't turn them on. :) Sorry, but you made that one too easy.

Actually the two overhead shots were taken on a Friday morning while flying to Texas out of LAX. The bottom two were taken last Saturday, May 5 from ground level. The middle one was taken from a ship that was also docked in San Pedro.

I also have overhead shots of Long Beach ...

Long Beach Airport to the Long Beach pier ...

And both docks in one photo ...

If you could get a good air fare to Long Beach, that would be the best thing. But I've found the fares to be high as LB is a smaller airport. The Super Shuttle from LAX to the pier is only $17 pp, but it can take up to two hours if they have a lot of stops. I have found the taxi to be the best and the most direct.

Jet Blue flies to Long Beach (but not LAX). Southwest flies to LAX, but not Long Beach.

I've checked airfares to Long Beach vs. LAX, particularly on Jet Blue, and found that they're more expensive plus the choice of flights post-cruise are really poor. You would either have to hope that disembarkation is smooth with no delays or else leave late in the afternoon. In checking Jet Blue, I would have had to stay overnight in Long Beach and paid more than flying from LAX to BOS so that was a no-brainer for me.

Do any hotels in Long Beach (taking Carnival or RCI not sure yet which ) offer free shuttle service to the pier? Thanks

We are flying in to Long Beach on Nov. 3. Have reservations at Residence Inn (Marriott) for one night, then leaving on RCI Vision of the Seas on Nov. 4. What is the best way to get to the pier? Some options I have thought of include taking the hotel shuttle back to the airport (no charge) and then shuttle to the pier, or taxi from the hotel directly to the pier. Anyone have some advice?

Thanks!

jennismom

We used the Princess shuttle from LAX to the pier and got to stay as a group and get on bypassing the crowds simply by stopping at the Marriot Hotel to check-in for the ship. With Super Shuttle you do have to pay in advance if you want to reserve. It was well worth the $50 round trip per person to be able to get on the ship that fast as we had eaten lunch and unpacked and the line was still long waiting to get on the ship.

Have a great cruise!

Do any hotels in Long Beach (taking Carnival or RCI not sure yet which ) offer free shuttle service to the pier? Thanks

If you stay at the Queen Mary you are next door to Carnival. Then you just walk over ...

Vision (RCI) departs from San Pedro, not Long Beach. If statying in LBC, I'd take a cab to the pier.

Thanks, kubri32!

Enjoy the Vision. We went to Alaska on the Vision last August. It was wonderful!

It looks like supershuttle is the way to go. Can you make round trip ressies? What time do you tell them you are getting off the ship??